(HealthDay News) — Psychosocial therapy significantly reduces suicide attempts and deaths among people who have previously attempted suicide, according to a new study published online Nov 24 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

The new research included 5,678 people in Denmark who underwent six to 10 psychosocial therapy sessions after they attempted suicide. The study also included 17,034 people who attempted suicide but received no treatment afterward.

After one year, those who received psychosocial therapy were 27% less likely to attempt suicide again. They were also 38% less likely to die of any cause than those who didn't receive treatment, the researchers found. After five years, there were 26% fewer suicides in the psychosocial therapy group than in the non-treatment group. After 10 years, the suicide rate in the psychosocial therapy group was 229 per 100,000 compared to 314 per 100,000 in the non-treatment group.

"Our findings provide a solid basis for recommending that this type of therapy be considered for populations at risk for suicide," study coauthor Elizabeth Stuart, PhD, an associate professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's department of mental health, said in a Johns Hopkins news release.